Windfall
by AnguishOC
Summary: Lucas is eighteen and trying to find his way in the world. When a normal holiday evening goes awry, his family is attacked then brought to his fathers research facility. Tragedy ensues. Now alone and enlisted he can only hope for one thing. Windfall.


**Windfall**

 **A Mass Effect Fanfiction**

 **By: AnguishCO**

 **Authors Notes:** Some things seen in the story may bend or break some rules/timelines pertaining to the Mass Effect Universe.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: And From The Ashes We Rise**

 _"In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent." -_ Loretta Lynn

* * *

Lucas paused his omnitool and waited, straining his ears to hear a voice he was sure would make itself heard in the next few seconds. "Lucas!" he heard call from outside his room. "Yeah?" He replied loudly enough for his voice to carry down the flight of stairs where he new his mother would be present.

"Supper is ready" She supplied. Without replying, he closed his omnitool with a gesture and swiveled his chair to face his doorway. Standing up with a stretch he made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

On his way he caught glance of himself in the full mirror his mother had planted at the height of the stairs. He stood at 5'11 with a slim athletic build and short brown hair matching his brown eyes. He was currently wearing a grey and black hoodie as well as some black pajamas pants. Being described to someone they might think he looked average but everyone seemed to think he was quite endearing in person.

He could already see his sister chatting away with his mother when he stepped into the kitchen. His sister also had brown hair but took after his mother with blue eyes. His mother had decided to dye her hair blond and had blue eyes. A plate of spaghetti waited for him beside his sister. Lucas smiled knowing there would be no retreating to his room with his food tonight. As he neared, his sister locked eyes with him. He could see the joy practically bouncing around on her face.

"Lou, Dad is coming home tonight!" She said excitedly.

Lucas shook his head "Oh ya?" he queried whilst digging into his meal - a small smile playing at his lips between bites. "Yup! Aren't you excited?" she replied enthusiastically. "His work's important Ellie" Mother pipped up. "I know, but he's always working! I just wish he could see my grades" She said with a thoughtful look and a mouthful of spaghetti.

"Grades?" Lucas asked. He wasn't aware his sister had gotten her grades yet. "Why wasn't I told El?" He feigned hurt. Startled she looked over to him and then looked bashful. "I was waiting for both of you to be here so I could show you together"

He couldn't be upset at that reasoning or the face she was making. So he settled on moving on "I take it you did well then?" He asked. She made a show of nodding her head repeatedly. "Yup! You'll see when dad gets home"

That's if he actually comes home he thought solemnly. He didn't blame his father for the time his work took, nor did it personally bother him. But he disliked the hurt it gave way to his sister.

Shockingly, as if summoned by the chatter. His father walked into the house. What preceded next was various cries of joy and wrestling for balance before what remained was his father and sister on the floor. He couldn't help but grin at the scene and appreciate his sisters happiness. These were the times he loved and he could admit to being happy to seeing his father for the holidays.

"Alright, alright munchkin. Let me up, so I can have a look at you" His father replied while standing up and hugging her.

She giggled and said "but you're not even looking at me"

"I don't have too, I can already tell you're growing up to be a beautiful young lady"

Lucas knew his father had many faults but he always tried his best to spend time with his family when he had the time. His father let go of Ellie and made his way to his mother. Recognizing the incoming, intimate moment Lucas rushed over to his sister and covered her eyes. He didn't need her getting any ideas with boys at school.

After their moment, his father set his gaze on himself and after what felt like a tense stare down quickly dissolved into a warm hug. "Made any progress to what you wanna do?" His father asked.

"No more then last month when you asked the same thing"

Laughing his father said "Take your time, you're eighteen now. It's a important life changing decision. one that can't-"

"Can't be taken for granted... I know" Smiling up to his father he said "I just wanna make I sure decide correctly"

"Fair point" his father conceded finally letting go of the hug. He turned himself back unto his sister who looked positively bursting with happiness and said "so I heard that you had something to show me"

His sister opened her mouth to speak but was cut short by the sound of glass shattering and multiple canisters hitting the floor. Gas immediately started expelling into the air. Before Lucas had much time to process what was happening he was being ushered outside along with the rest of his family by his father.

Lucas could feel his throat start to seize up and the coughing was coming in waves but he didn't have much time to dwell on it as moments after they set foot outside he felt his body lock up and crumbled to the ground. From his angle he could see his family ahead of him, all in similar positions.

Time passed agonizingly slow for Lucas as he laid sprawled on the ground. He could see the lite snow falling with enough layers to not leave any color in its place. As an increasing amount of time passed with no change, the beginnings of panic grew. As the panic grew more profound he tried to yell, to scream, to move - to do _anything_ but his body refused him. A fleeting thought of death passed him as the their home was surround by think trees and couldn't be seen easily from the outside.

Just when he thought they'd have to lay there in the cold until someone noticed them, footprints suddenly made themselves known on the thin snow and began making a path towards him. Slowly. Deliberately. Each print calculated giving off the air of experience before they stopped just a few feet from him. Then before his eyes the air shimmered slightly and filled to reveal a figure clad in full black armor with barely noticeable yellow trimmings.

Looking past the mans legs he could see others - wearing similar armor - standing over his family. Looking back up at the man Lucas only just managed to see the mans rifle raised above his head and on a downwards decent towards him before he succumbed to the overwhelming darkness.

* * *

As his sense of self awareness came back to him, so did the headache he was now sporting. He could vaguely hear voices speaking but nothing more. His vision was blurry and Lucas was wasn't sure where they were any longer. Blinking repeatedly to clear his vision Lucas saw he was laying on the ground again - beside him was his sister who was also unconscious.

Ahead of him was his father standing by the door to a large building. A few ways away from him was his mother being held with an arm around her throat and a gun to her head. She was quietly sobbing and muttering something. As he tried to stand he was roughly grabbed and brought closer to the escalating situation. His father and the two men that surround him.

"Mr. Ashmore, I will not repeat myself again. Open this door. This is your final warning" The man appearing to be in charge said.

Before his father had a chance of replying Lucas yelled out a rushed "Mom!" and tried to make a run for her but was still being held back. The man who had previously spoke barely spared him a glance before seemingly silently communicating with the person holding Lucas to keep him quiet. Lucas's father appeared to be relieved that he wasn't injured badly.

His father turned back to the man in charge and gave a slight grimace before replying with "And as I have stated I can't do that. The proper authorities are already on there way. You should leave while you still have the chance"

The man gave a barely noticeable sigh before half gesturing to his subordinate who held his mother. With a resounding bang Lucas stared in abject horror as his mother fell, a smoking barrel behind her. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed and the world seemed to go silent. He barely heard his fathers resounding scream of "Jessica!". It was all so fast and surreal that he couldn't help but go slack being only held upright by his captor. His eyes quickly blurring up but he madly scrubbed at them, desperately willing it away.

As he stared at her body - His own mothers body - he heard a faint "mum?" to his right and looked over with quick dread as he saw his sister come to. She was quickly understanding the situation, her own mutterings of no quickly matching the same ones of his late mothers and seeing her face scrunch up into sadness as fresh tears fell only revitalized his tears but he scrubbed them away again.

As if allowing the family a moment to mourn the man had stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "Mr. Ashmore, if you do not open this door your son will be next. Then your daughter" he added as an after thought. His father could only stared at his wife's body, his mouth open slightly in a silent cry of emotion as tears rolled down freely before the words caught up to him and he numbly nodded and inputted the code on the panel beside the door before doing a eye scanner.

The man seemed please to be making progress and relayed his his next instructions "Mr. Ashmore, bring us to the project you have been working on"

His father didn't appear to be trusting his voice at the moment and simply nodded again. He led them into a lobby which was circular in dimension with a help desk in the center and had a sign over head which read 'Conatix Industries' his fathers place of work obviously. They walked silently through the endless maze of corridors except for the occasional sobs of his sister being practically dragged along. His own shock at what had transpired was only barely wearing off and he only barely registered the that they had finally reached there destination.

It was a fairly large room with what appeared to be a viewing window and a chamber beyond it, there was a heavy door to presumably enter the chamber as well. Consoles littered the rest of the room with chairs sporadically placed between as if people were constantly moving across the consoles. Through the window you could see a circular metal object. His father stopped at the console and turn to the men who had ruined our lives in a few hours. He spoke desperately, wanting the nightmare to end.

"Please... I've given you wa-"

"Not entirely" The man cut in. After a moments pause he continued "Does it work?"

His father stared before hesitantly replying in the negative and explaining that it had never been tested before. The makings of the first real emotion played on our captors face.

 _Malice._

He gave my us all large grins before saying. "It seems its your lucky day Mr. Ashmore! You have two perfectly healthy candidates right before you" He said sweeping his arm at Lucas and his sister who backed up at hearing the tone but hit the end barrels of rifles. The options were painfully obvious. Be the first testers or die. Potential death or absolute death. Lucas's father looked like the man had already shot his children.

"Please I can't... This is my family!" His father pleaded and begged. But the man wasn't wavering. "Better hopes it works then Mr. Ashmore" He said with a sly smile. The man tilted his head as if thinking about it before adding. "If you'd like I could shoot you all here and now" There was a resound silence after that and Lucas felt his heart pounding in his chest only to be disrupted by his sisters cry of "no" and try and struggle free. Lucas could only feel his anger raise as one of the men stepped forward and pistol whipped her to the floor and then step back into the line they had made to stop them from exiting.

Lucas rushed his sisters crying form and muttered sweet nothings while looking up at his conflicted fathers face. He silently tried to convoy that he should play along. Any chance was better then no chance. The stare down was long and sad. Neither wanted this but this was the hand they were dealt with.

With a half sob his father relented and nodded his head in acceptance. Before his father had finished his nod the man was already ordering his troops to usher us to the chamber door.

As Lucas stood there with his sister clutching at him like a lifeline he saw the radiation symbol on the heavy blast doors and suddenly felt that this may not have been the best idea. When the door opened with a loud hiss he took a minor step back to only once again back into the barrel of a gun. Looking over his shoulder at the determined face of his father Lucas nodded once and stepped into the chamber with his sister. It was large and empty. A sense of impending doom washed through Lucas and he fought the urge to turn around and pound on the door to be let out.

Bring his sister towards the window to look at his father work he could see the stress visible on his face. He could only image the thoughts passing through him. Before Lucas knew it his father looked as ready as ever and a pre-recorded voice ran over the chamber.

"Allanon initiating in 5..." The metal sphere at the center of the chamber began to glow and silver energy whipped about. The whirring of machinery could be hear from within.

"4..."

Lucas turned back towards the window to see his father looking at them with sadness, hope and finally pride. He tried to crack a smile for him but it only came out as a half grimace.

"3..."

His father pressed his hand against the window and whispered with tears running down his face once again "I love you both... so unbelievably much..."

"2..."

Lucas mimicked the action and looked down at his sister who was staring back at him with red puffy eyes. A silent question on her face.

"1..."

"It's going to be okay El"

"Initiating Allanon..."

The chamber exploded in a blinding light.

* * *

The pain.

Oh god... the pain...

It was insufferable. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It felt like stones were being hammered into him. One at a time. A thousand times. Each making sure it fit perfectly. Each making sure it was _deep_ enough. It felt like an eternity. Taking its time and setting in. Letting him get numb to the idea of pain. His voice had given out long ago. His sisters... dear god his sisters... He wanted her to stop crying out. To stop suffering.

But he could only suffer with her.

And just as if it had never been, it was over.

He lay on the warm floor of the chamber. Barely breathing. Feeling so utterly exhausted but alive. His headache once a dull annoyance now a drill into his brain.

He brought his heavy eyes to the hissing of the door unlocking and opening. Two men slowly walked through, their rifles trained on himself and his sister. He heard a voice. It echoed through the hollow chamber.

"Haribon Military Industries thanks you" Then a deafening bang echoed through the chamber and a slight gurgle followed. As Lucas gazed at the soldiers walking towards him he felt so defeated. He knew what that sound was. He know _who_ that sound was. He just wanted it over. For it to end.

He felt one of the men in black press his finger tips to his neck and then pause before retracting them and standing up. He spoke to his partner.

"This one's alive. Barely"

"Good. This one isn't"

His eyes - eyes that were on the verge of closing - snapped back open. The implication hitting him. She had died. His little sister had died. His mother had died. His father had died. He was alone. Left with broken pieces of himself. A rush of emotions shot through him. He felt sad, he felt betrayed but most of all. He felt angry. Angry at the injustice of the world. Angry at the men who destroyed him and everything he cared for like it was nothing. Angry at himself. He had failed to do anything. Failed to save his sister. Failed to save his mother. Failed to save his father.

As the two soldiers in black stepped towards him bending down to pick him up he felt the anger intensify and he wished they were all dead more then anything. Then suddenly he felt a prickly feeling. Not uncomfortable just present. Before he realized what had happened both men were at his feet. Dead. He was vaguely aware of the whips of silver that surrounded him. Licking his environment.

"What the hell?"

Lucas's eyes snapped up to the entrance once more and laid his eyes on the man he despised more then anyone, flanked by the rest of his squad. It was the same man who ordered his mothers execution. The same man who forced them to play guinea pigs ending in his sisters death. The same man who had probably pulled the trigger killing his father. His anger rose to unprecedented levels and with it so did the prickly feeling. He uttered a single word. His voice hoarse and raspy from the earlier screaming.

"...Die"

The building exploded in energy.

* * *

White.

The ceiling was white. The room was white. Sterilized. A hospital he realized.

He _hated_ hospitals.

The room was bland with like a typical hospital room except for the monitor currently playing the news beside the large window showing a frozen over garden. Sadly at the moment he was aching too much to complain. He looked out the window of his room and saw that it was midday. Lucas drew a shuddering breath as he realized he was probably safe at the moment and relaxed into the bed. Clearing his mind. It was then that he realized he could _feel_ the room. He could feel the entire room. It was odd. He could feel the paper on the notepad across from him. He could feel the person about to enter his room. He could feel the- Wait what?

"Enter" He spoke his voice raw.

A doctor walked in moments later. His eyebrow raised in a questioning way. He calmly walked over to the clipboard and picked it up then turned to face Lucas with his pen out.

"I see that you are awake Mr. Ashmore. How are you feeling?"

"Sore" Lucas rasped out.

The doctor stepped towards a cabinet on the far side from Lucas retrieving an empty glass and then filling it with water from the sink bellow before returning to Lucas

"Yes I imagine so. You've received some blunt force trauma to your prefrontal cortex. As such I'm going to ask you some questions to see if you remember everything "

While the doctor was speaking Lucas was greedily draining the water before laying back down on the bed in relief.

"I understand" He replied.

"Good. Let's start easy. State your name and date of birth"

"Lucas Ashmore September ninth twenty-one-fifty-nine" The information spilling out before he thought about it.

The doctor nodded and wrote a quick note. "and which country do you live in?"

"Canada"

"It's capital?"

"Ottawa"

The questions continued on for awhile. Each getting more difficult but the doctor seemed overall pleased that there was no long term damage and that aside from the soreness he was healthy and could be released soon. The doctor checked a few more things before he deemed everything acceptable and turned back to Lucas.

"Everything seems in order Mr. Ashmore. Do you need anything before I leave?"

Lucas ignored him and instead spoke loud enough for his voice to carry "Enter"

His doctor looked momentarily confused before the door opened a man walked in the room looking mostly amused. He was dressed in a formal Alliance uniform with various badges decorating his chest. He had darker skin and had very short hair. If Lucas had to guess he was in his late thirties. He removed his hat and held it in one hand and running his hand through his hair with the other before speaking with an English accent.

"Lucas Ashmore. My name is Captain David Anderson, Alliance Navy. I'd like to ask you some questions concerning recent events and may have a proposition for you"

Lucas liked him. He spoke clearly but also in a friendly way. The doctor seeing he wasn't needed nodded his head to David and walked out of the room with the doors shutting behind him. What he didn't like was the reminder to what had happened earlier. He sighed and shut his eyes crushing the feeling of sadness.

When he opened them once again the Captain was standing patiently waiting for a reply. Hesitantly Lucas asked "...Sir?"

the Captain sighed a bit before gathering his thoughts "I'll be honest with you, the company your father was working for - Conatix Industries - is being very tight lipped about the whole thing so any input you have is appreciated. We've tried to recover as much data as we can from the blast but there wasn't much"

Taking it as a sign to continue Mr. Anderson took a seat on the chair beside the bed with his hat still in his hands. "There's no need to call me sir either. Makes me feel old and you aren't in the military - yet" he added after a moment with a smirk. "Call me Anderson. Do you mind if you recount the events leading to you being here"

Lucas didn't want to but understood it was necessary and so he did. He explained it all as it happened and Anderson listened with rapt attention. He only seemed to get really curious at the Allanon project. He asked Lucas to clarify certain things pertaining to it which Lucas answered the best he could. After the recounting Anderson sat in contemplative silence and then asked a question.

"How did you know I was outside your room door?"

Lucas opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. He was just as confused as Anderson was about it. If he relaxed and took in his environment he could just feel everything in it.

"I'm not sure sir" He told him. Anderson smiled at the slip up and asked how it felt.

"It's odd. It's like I can feel everything." The questioning look was all Lucas needed to expand on that. He pointed at his hat "Do you feel it? The fabric. The buttons and trimmings around it. It's kinda like that but for the entire room and a little bit out of it. As if i'm touching everything at once"

Anderson still seemed slightly confused but also pleased. As if he was thinking of all the advantages such a thing could do "Well son. What do you know of biotics?" Lucas looked back at him with a questioning gaze

"They're a fairly recent thing. Actually their potential was discovered about a year before I was born but I've never shown any pr-" Lucas stopped himself short as it became clear "You think I'm a biotic now?" His tone clearly suggesting he was skeptical. Lucas had heard that it was something you could only really be born with.

"I do and while I've never heard of your... sensory ability. I don't doubt it isn't something to do with your biotics" Anderson paused for a bit and thought everything over before coming to a decision.

"I'd like you to enlist" He said and at Lucas's frown smirked a little and added "Now it isn't that bad and there are some reasons for it, if that would help with your decision"

Lucas gestured for him to continue while leaning back into his bed with his eyes staring at the ceiling.

"You have no known next of kin and we can't guarantee your protection once you leave this hospital. The organization responsible for this could reach you anytime they wanted but the Alliance protects its own and we can provide a better chance at survival while teaching you to protect yourself" Lucas turned his head to his left to look at Anderson and noticed the monitor over his shoulder.

It showed a woman being awarded the Star of Terra for defending a colony from overwhelming odds. Anderson continued "With your unique biotics you'll be sent to Grissom Academy once boot camp is finished to learn to control them"

Lucas sighed and looked back at the monitor of the ceremony. If there was one thing that he didn't want happening _ever_ again was to be tossed around like that. staring intently at the monitor of the clapping crowd he made his decision.

Lucas watched Anderson break into a large smile and stand up placing his hat back on his head. "I'll send someone over with the necessary documents. You'll have some options so give it so give it some thought" He made a move for the door before Lucas called out "Anderson" Said person looked back at Lucas with a patient look.

 _Haribon Military Industries thanks you_

Lucas remembered it. "The men who did this said they were from Haribon Military Industries" Anderson looked intrigued and nodded "I'll look into it" He made another move for the door but Lucas stopped him with another question.

"My Omnitool was destroyed in the project. Could I have another one please?" Anderson smiled "Of course" and walked out of the room.

Lucas wondered how soon things would change. Turning over to stare at the monitor, he dug his nails into his palm.

He wouldn't ever have this happen again.


End file.
